Slidable outer jaw wrench



March 24, 1959 Filed April 19. 1957 A. G. ANDERSON SLIDABLE OUTER JAWWRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 24, 1959 A. G. ANDERSON SLIDABLE OUTER JAWWRENCH Filed April 19, 1957 2,878,702 SLIDABLE OUTER JAW WRENCH AndersGustav Anderson, Chicago, 111. Application April 19, 1957, Serial No.653,789

Claims. (Cl. 81-145) This invention relates to a wrench and moreparticularly to an adjustable wrench having a slidable jaw which may belocked in position by a transversely movable keeper.

Although this invention will be described in connection with a pipewrench, it is to be understood that the various features thereof may beapplied to and used in conjunction with other types of wrenches.

In the past, commercially available pipe wrenches have been constructedin such a manner that to operate them required two hands. The operatornormally holds the wrench handle with one hand while manipulating anadjusting nut with the other. In many instances this made the work verydifficult, if not impossible, for the Working space often was sorestricted as to preclude the use of a second hand for adjusting thewrench. Various attempts have been made to design a wrench which couldbe operated by one hand, but none of these previous attempts has provensuccessful. A wrench of the general type described herein must be heldfirmly in one hand while an adjustment or release is being manipulatedwith a thumb or finger. In order to manipulate the adjustment with afinger of the one hand which supports the wrench, the parts must besorelated, shaped and integrated that the handle and adjustment arepropinquous. This was heretofore considered impracticable. In addition,various mechanical deficiencies such as weakness of thin members and anexcessive amount of freedom between the various parts are inherent inprevious wrenches, resulting, in part, because a housing for the movablejaw was pivotally mounted through means on the exterior of the handle,and the movable jaw shank which was adapted to move parallel to thehandle was substantially displaced from the axis of the handle. Inmanipulating wrenches of this type, there was a likelihood of pinchingfingers or other portions of the hand. This was particularly true whenthe adjustment means was in a remote location and portions of the usershand or hands had to be placed in very close proximity to the movingparts of the wrench.

It is one particular object of this invention to provide a wrench whichis readily adjustable while maintaining a firm grasp on the handle andone which is substantially free from danger of pinching the hand of theuser.

It is another object of this invention to provide a wrench capable ofheavy duty service which has very little play between the movablemembers and which permits a substantial travel of the movable jaw.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a wrench whichmay be easily adjusted by one hand while being firmly grasped in thathand and which may extend into places of limited access to give a firmgrip on the material or device upon which the work is being performed.It is still another object of this invention to provide a wrench whichis of very pleasing design, which has a balanced movable jaw and whichmay be easily brought into the proper adjustment.

2,878,702 Patented Mar. 24, 1959 Other objects may be seen and a fullerunderstanding of the invention may be had by referring to the followingdescription and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention,

1 the wrench is constructed of an elongate frame member having a fixedjaw portion, an integral handle portion, and a hollow or recessedportion intermediate the handle and fixed jaw portions.

A movable jaw member having an elongate shank portion operates inconjunction with the fixed jaw to grip a pipe, nut or other workpiece. Ahousing is carried by the frame member and has a free end which isadapted to pivotally move within the hollow intermediate portion of theframe. This guideway is adapted'to slidably receive the elongate shankportion of the movable jaw and carries an adjustable keeper which isadapted to selectively engage a portion of the movable jaw shank inorder to hold the movable jaw rigidly in position with respect to thefixed jaw.

One principal feature of this invention is the provision of the hollowframe or handle member within which the movable jaw shank and housingare adapted to move. This feature permits the wrench to be much morecompact and thus more easily operable with one hand and i eliminatesdanger of pinching the users hand. This feature also permits the movablejaw member to be stronger, yet lighter in weight, than wrenchesofpreviou's design.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference will nowbe made to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a wrench in which the features ofthis invention are embodied;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the Wrench taken substantiallyalong line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional end view of the wrench taken substantially alongline 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional end view of the wrench taken substantially alongline 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the keeper which is used inthe adjustable locking means in the illustrated wrench.

With more particular reference to thev drawings, a wrench 10 is providedhaving a frame 12, a movable jaw 14 and an adjustable locking means 16.As may be best seen in Fig. 3, frame 12 includes an integral handleportion 18, a fixed'jaw portion 20 and ,a hollow or recessedintermediateportion 22. The cross section of handle 18 is preferably inthe nature of an I beam with a central web and flanged edges for maximumstrength and minimum weight. An interchangeable work-engaging jaw face24, which may be serrated, is attached to the fixed jaw portion of theframe by means of a pin 25. It is preferred that the fixed jaw 20 andworkengaging surface 24 be so positioned with respect to one of thelongitudinal edges of the handle that the major portion of thework-engaging surface will lie to one side (below in the drawing) ofthis edge. Together with a correspondingly positioned movable jaw thisprotruding feature permits the wrench to be used in places of limitedaccess.

Frame intermediate portion 22 is preferably channelshaped having sidewalls 28 and 30, and a bottom web portion 32, as may best be seen inFig. 5 of the drawings. This web portion supplies added strength andrigidity to the frame and prevents the user from inadvertently insertinghis finger in this area with danger of pinching. Transversely adjacentfixed jaw portion 20 of the frame is an aperture 34, the function ofwhich will be later seen.

A housing 36 having an integral channel-shaped guideway 38 is pivotallymounted on pin 39 adjacent fixed jaw portion within the hollow portion22 of the frame. The free end 40 of .guideway 38 is adapted .to movewithin hollow portion 22 .between a normal position (shown in solidlines in Fig. 3) and a depressed position (shown in broken lines in Fig.3). A coil spring 42 engages the under side of guideway '38 .to :bias:the guideway and housing toward the normal position.

The side walls 28 and 30 of channel shaped intermediate portion 22 arejuxtaposed relative to the sides of the housing and guideway 36 and 38.and thus prevent any play from developing between these parts. Thenormal position of the housing and guideway is determined by theabutment of forward portion .43 .of .the housing'with aperture definingportion 44 of .the framc. The movable jaw member 14 has an elongateshank portion 46 which is serrated along its exterior .edge47. The jawportion 48 extends downwardly in a transverse direction from thelongitudinal axis of the shank and lies in corresponding workingposition with respect to fixed jaw work-engaging face 24.

Guideway 38 is aligned with aperture 34 in theframe, and elongate shankportion 46 of the movable jaw member'extends through'aperture'34 andguideway 38. Aperture 34 is of such size that guideway 38 is alwaysaligned therewith throughout its permitted movement within intermediateframe portion 22, and movable jaw member 14 thus may pivot on thehousing '36 about pin 39 without being obstructed by the aperturedefining portion 44.

As may be seen in Fig. 1 even when the jaws of-the wrench are closed,substantially all of the movablejaw shank 46 lies within hollow frameportion 22 thereby eliminating the hazard of pinching the users handbetweenthe handle and shank. Only a very small-portion of the shankextends outside of the handle or frame. The longitudinally disposedinterior edge 49 lies substantially collinear with the longitudinal axisof frame member 12 when in the normal position as shown in solid linesin Fig. 3. In the illustrated embodiment this edge is disposed at a veryslight angle with respect to the of the frame and thus substantiallycollinear is meant to include all such very slight angular orientations.

Mounted within housing 36 is locking means 16 which includes anoperating lever member 54 pivotally-mounted within housing 36 by meansof pin 56. Carried on one end of lever-54 is locking keeper '58 shown indetail in Fig. 6.

Locking keeper 58 is serrated along itsibottom edge 60 and has anapertured bail-likeelement 62 integral therewith which is adapted toreceive oneend of lever 54. A guide'web .64is-provided'in housing 36adjacent locking keeper 58 and cooperates with the vertical interiorsurface 65 of housing 36 to-maintain locking keeper 58 in-proper workingposition and to enable keeper 58 to slidably move selectively into andout of contact with the serrated edge .47 of elongate shank 46. A spring67 mounted on guide web 64.is adapted to urge the other end 69 of lever54 which constitutes a manual release inadirection which will effect theengagement of lockingzkeeper 58 with shank 46. Spring 67 is preferablystiffer than spring 42 whereby pressure on manual release:69 will firstcompress spring 42 tilting housing 36 and jaw 14 to the open positions,after which further pressure will raise keeper 58=to permit slidingmovement of thejaw.

A stop means is preferably provided for preventing shankmember 46from-sliding'out of the guideway 38. One such means is illustrated andincludes a bolt 50 having .a head 51 which extends above the edge ofshank 46-andis adapted toabut guide web 64 to prevent the shank lfromsliding out'of the guideway.

In-operation the handle portion 18 of the Wrench-may be grasped in onehand and adjustable locking means 16 may -be operated -bya thumbor-finger of that-hand. If it is desired to open the wrench the movablejaw memher may the pointed downwardly and pressure exerted on manualrelease 69 of lever 54 to move this lever inwardly against theresistance .of .spring 67. This movement causes locking keeper 58 tolift from its engagement with the serrated edge 47 of movable jaw shank46 to slidably move by gravity within hollow frame portion 22 in adownward direction through guideway 38. The wrench may be positionedwith respect to a workpiece such as a pipe by placing the pipeintermediate the jaws when they are open with the handle of the wrenchpointing in a downward direction. Pressing downwardly on manual release.69 of .lever 54 lifts keeper 58 and rotates housing 36 to the brokenline position whereupon shank 46 ispermitted to slide in guideway 38within hollow frame portion 22 until the work-engaging portion 48 ofmovable jaw member 14 is in engagement with the pipe. Lever 54 may thenbe released permitting spring 67 to rotate this lever and forcibly movelocking keeper 58 back into position in engagement with the serratededge ofshank 46. Release of lever =54 alsopermits spring 42 to urgemovable jaw 14 about pivotL-pin 39 into more intimate contact with theworkpiece. Spring 67, being the stiffer, will lock the keeper 58 againstthe jaw before spring 42 urges the movable jaw against the workpiece.Force may then'be applied on'the handle '18 in a direction shown by thearrow to effect rotationof the pipe or workpiece. The application offorce to handle 18 will further augment the force of spring 42 toprovide a grip on the workpiece of substantially increased tenacity.

Various changes may be made in the design of the Wrench such asproviding smooth, flat or arcuate workengaging surfaces in place of theillustrated serrated surfaces. This would 'enable the wrench to be usedon nuts and thelike without damage. Work-engaging surface 24 may bedesigned such that it can be easilyremovedby'the removal of pin 25 andan alternative type of face substituted. Movable jaw 14 may beremovedfrom the wrench by first removing nut 51, and thereafter amovable jaw member having a different type of workengaging face may besubstituted therefor.

A' differently designed adjustable locking means may be provided aslongas the wrench may be adjustably positioned with one hand. However, theillustrated locking means is preferred because this locking meanscooperates very effectively with the hollow portion of the handle orframe to enable the wrench to be extremely compact.

As previously indicated one important feature of this invention is theprovision of ahollow-handle or frame member within which the movable jaw14 may move. Shank 46 of the movable jaw member is always positionedsubstantially within theframe. This prevents any pinching or the likefrom occurring to the portions of the hand which are in contact with thewrench. Not only is the wrench extremely pleasing in its design, but itsstructure prevents any play and concomitant wear and hazard and yieldsan'extremely strong wrench. The advantages from such a wrench may bevisualized particnlarly well in theillustrated type of wrench which'hasprotruding jaws, for which the features of this inventionincorporated-in such a wrench a compact, strong wrench capableoftenacious gripping is provided which canbe used in restricted spaces.Nevertheless the jaws and jaw-supporting members are closely integratedto .avoid excessive moments of force which might weaken or fracture thewrench. Thus the movable jaw may be stronger and yet considerablylighter in weight than movable jaws used in other wrenches not embodyingthe features of this invention.

Without further.elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain thecharacter of my invention that others may, by applying currentknowledge, readily adapt the-same'for useunder varying conditions ofservice, while retaining certain features which may properly be said toconstitute the essential items ofnovelty involved, which items a soaerakroa t t are intended to be, defined and secured to me by thefollowing claims.

1. A wrench comprising'in combination an elongate frame memberincluding-a 'fixed inner jaw portion, an integral handle portion and arecessed portion intermediate said fixed inner jaw portion and saidhandle portion, a guideway mounted on said frame member and having afree end which is adapted to pivotally move within said frame memberrecessed portion, an outer jaw member having an elongate shank portionmovable longitudinally within the guideway, and adjustable locking meansoperatively connected to said guideway and adapted to selectively engagesaid elongate shank portion, whereby said; movable outer jaw member maybe rigidly held in a predetermined position within, said guideway.

2. A wrench comprising in combination an elongate frame member includinga fixed inner jaw portion, an integral handle portion and a recessedportion intermedi ate said fixed inner jaw portion and said handleportion, a housing pivotally mounted within said frame member recessedportion, a movable outer jaw member having an elongate shank which isserrated along its outer edge, said housing having a guideway whichslidably receives the shank of said outer jaw member, and adjustablelocking means mounted in said housing for operatively engaging theserrated outer edge of said movable outer jaw shank to hold said outerjaw member rigidly in a predetermined position with respect to saidhousing.

3. A wrench comprising in combination an elongate frame member includinga fixed inner jaw portion, an integral handle portion and asubstantially channelshaped portion disposed intermediate said fixedinner jaw portion and said handle portion, a movable outer jaw memberhaving an elongate shank which is serrated along one edge, a jaw housingpivotally mounted in said recessed portion adjacent said fixed inner jawportion, a guideway integral with said housing which slidably receivesthe shank of said outer jaw member, said guideway having a free endwhich is pivotally movable within said channel-shaped portion between adepressed and a normal position, resilient means urging said guidewaytoward the normal position, adjustable locking means mounted within saidhousing and adapted to selectively engage the serrated edge of saidshank, whereby said outer jaw member may be rigidly held in anypredetermined position of adjustment with respect to said fixed innerjaw portion.

4. A wrench comprising an elongate hollow frame member having anintegral handle portion and a fixed jaw connected to said frame memberand oppositely disposed with respect to said handle portion, said framemember being apertured adjacent said fixed jaw, a jaw member having anelongate shank which is serrated along one edge, a jaw housing pivotallymounted within said hollow frame member adjacent said fixed jaw, aguideway integral with said housing and aligned with the aperture insaid frame member, said guideway slidably receiving the shank of saidjaw and having a free end which is pivotally movable within said hollowframe member between a depressed and a normal position, resilient meansurging said guideway toward its normal position, adjustable lockingmeans mounted within said housing and adapted to selectively engage theserrated edge of said shank, whereby said jaw member may be rigidly heldin any predetermined position of adjustment with respect to said framefixed jaw portion.

5. A wrench comprising in combination an elongate frame member includinga fixed inner jaw portion, an integral handle portion and a recessedportion intermediate said fixed inner jaw portion and said handleportion, a movable outer jaw member having an elongate shank portion, aguideway mounted on said frame member and having a free end which isadapted to pivotally move within said frame member recessed portionbetween a depressed and a normal position, said guideway slidablyreceiving said elongate shank portion, said shank portion when saidguideway is in its normal position having one edge which issubstantially collinear with the longitudinal axis of said frame member,adjustable locking means operatively connected to said guideway andadapted to selectively engage the other edge of said elongate shankportion, whereby said outer jaw member may be rigidly held in apredetermined position within said guideway.

6. A wrench comprising in combination an elongate frame member includinga fixed inner jaw portion, an integral handle portion and a recessedportion intermediate said fixed inner jaw portion and said handleportion, a movable outer jaw member having an elongate shank portion, aguideway mounted on said frame member and having a free end which isadapted to pivotally move within said frame member recessed portion,said guideway slidably receiving said elongate shank portion, andpositioned with respect to the recessed portion of said frame member sothat substantially all of said shank lies within said recessed portionwhen the jaws are closed, adjustable locking means operatively connectedto said guideway and adapted to selectively engage said elongate shankportion, whereby said outer jaw member may be rigidly held in apredetermined position within said guideway.

7. A wrench comprising in combination an elongate frame member includinga fixed jaw portion, an integral handle portion and a recessed portionintermediate said fixed jaw portion and said handle portion, a jawmember having an elongate shank portion, a guideway mounted on saidframe member and having a free end which is adapted to pivotally movewithin said frame member recessed portion between a normal and adepressed position, said guideway slidably receiving said jaw elongateshank portion, and positioned with respect to the recessed portion ofsaid frame member so that substantially all of said shank lies withinsaid recessed portion when the jaws are closed, a first spring meansconnected to said frame and adapted to urge the guide way free endtoward its normal position, adjustable locking means operativelyconnected to said guideway and comprising a keeper which is adapted toselectively move into and out of engagement with said elongate shankportion, a second spring means connected to said guideway and adapted tourge said keeper toward engagement with said shank portion, whereby saidjaw member may be rigidly held in a predetermined position within saidguideway.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein said second spring means is stifferthan said first spring means.

9. A wrench comprising in combination an elongate frame member includinga fixed jaw portion, an integral handle portion and a substantiallychannel-shaped recessed portion disposed intermediate said fixed jawportion and said handle portion, a jaw member having an elongate shankwhich is serrated along one edge, a jaw housing pivotally mounted insaid recessed portion adjacent said fixed jaw portion, a guidewayintegral with said housing which slidably receives the shank of said jawmember, said guideway having a free end which is pivotally movablewithin said channel-shaped portion between a depressed and a normalposition, resilient means urging said guideway toward the normalposition, adjustable locking means comprising a locking keeper serratedalong one face, a keeper guideway adapted to slidably receive saidlocking keeper and to maintain said keeper in proper position withrespect to said shank guideway, a lever member pivotally mounted on saidhousing, one end of said lever member being operatively connected tosaid locking keeper, spring means urging the other end of said levermember in a direction adapted to effect the movement of said keeper intoo tact wi s id j w shank whsteby th s rat =29!- tions of said keeper andsgid shank interlock.

9- wre h mpr sin c bination an elon frame me b inc d n a d n s gi P rton an integral handle portion and a recessed portion intermediatesaidfixedinner jaw portion and said handle portion, a guideway mountedonsaid framernernber and having freeend whichis adapted to pivotallymove.within said frame member recessed portion, an outer jaw member havinganelongateshank portion movable longitudinally within the guideway, saidfixed inner jaw portion and said outer jaw mernber protrudingtransversely from said irgrne member such that a major ,portion' of thework ,contacting sqrfiace of .each jaw is disposed v to one side of saidframe member, and an adjustable locking means operatively connected tosaid guideway and adopted toselectivelyengage said elongate shankportion,

D U whsrcb w a ,mpvah ma i nms c ma b s ly held in a predeterminedposition within said guideygiv. Rsfmnsq ied in em fhisipawnti UN TE STAPATEN 7-89;307 Wells sMay 9, 1 905 1,026,005 'St'raub LMay :14, 19121,380,794 Gordon June '7, 1921 1,391,581 zRoberts Sept. 20, 19211,326,576 fHofimann NOV. *8, 1921 2,703,503 Hairston Mar. ;8, 19552,760,396 Simpson Aug. 28, 1956 EORgEIGN PATENTS 13-3;760 great "BritainOct. 15, 1919 3 :GmatBri n ,--r-------- 27, .1

